Widespread soaking rains fell across Texas and the Deep South this week, bringing significant moisture relief to drought-stricken areas that have endured months of severe conditions, , according to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor. The Southeast continues to experience the nation’s most severe drought conditions, with wildfires burning tens of thousands of acres, while western states face a bleak water supply outlook despite recent precipitation. The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The precipitation eased drought conditions across portions of Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley, and the Tennessee Valley, though widespread severe to exceptional drought continues across much of the affected region.
Plains and Midwest experience contrasting conditions
Following a period of sustained wetness, drier conditions overspread the Midwest over the past week. The pause in precipitation proved mostly welcome for fieldwork activities that had been delayed by frequent storm systems. Unseasonable cold reduced evapotranspiration rates, helping to ease impacts from drought and abnormal dryness across northern Minnesota and along the southern Indiana and Illinois border.
Drought conditions continued expanding across the Plains despite cooler temperatures. Light to moderate precipitation fell across much of the High Plains, with the heaviest accumulations reaching 0.5 to 1.5 inches across central Colorado, including late season snow at higher elevations. However, the moisture proved insufficient to generate substantial improvements across Kansas, Nebraska, and far western North Dakota.
Southern states see mixed improvements
The most substantial relief occurred across central and western Texas, where additional rainfall following last week’s beneficial precipitation sparked further drought reductions. The upper Rio Grande Valley experienced particular improvement as moisture reached previously parched areas. Total accumulations over the seven-day period topped 2 inches across much of Mississippi and Alabama, southern Georgia, and the western Florida Panhandle.
Despite the beneficial rainfall, conditions remained mostly unchanged across southeastern Alabama, Georgia and northwestern Florida, where soil moisture and streamflows remain extremely low. The precipitation stabilized conditions in these areas but fell short of the sustained heavy rainfall needed to begin widespread easing of drought impacts.
Western regions face ongoing challenges
Hot, dry conditions promoted degradation across Arizona and northwestern Washington, while late season moisture across northern California did little to change meager snowpack conditions. The seasonably dry weather across most of the West exacerbated impacts in Arizona, resulting in substantial degradation of conditions.
Outlook calls for continued activity
Forecasters expect an active weather pattern to continue across the Southeast during the next seven days, with heavy rainfall of 2 to 7 inches possible along a swath from eastern Texas through southern Alabama. These rains would continue bringing drought relief while also creating threats of severe weather. Above-average temperatures across the West favor accelerated snowmelt, which may bring short-term reservoir boosts but leaves water supplies even more constrained as summer approaches.
